OCTOBER 2023
NET-ZERO CONCRETE TARGETING CARBON
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41 Net-Zero Roadmap | 46 Vocational Trucks
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NET-ZERO
CONCRETE GAINS Canadian facilities making significant steps toward net-zero targets. BY ANDREW SNOOK
I
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAFARGE CANADA
t should come as no surprise that the cement industry is a major contributor to CO2 emissions around the globe. The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) states that the sector is the third-largest industrial energy consumer and the second-largest industrial CO2 emitter, representing approximately seven per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions. The fact that concrete is the second-most consumed commodity around the world, trailing only behind water, amplifies its impact. To assist the cement industry in its effort to reduce CO2 emissions, in 2022 the CAC, with assistance from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, launched the Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon Concrete by 2050. The roadmap “commits
the sector to achieving reductions of 15 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cumulatively by 2030, followed by ongoing reductions of over 4 million tonnes annually from the production of cement and concrete in Canada.” The CAC expects these GHG reductions to come from a combination of initiatives, including the elimination of the use of coal and petroleum coke, increased use of lower-carbon and alternative fuels, use of alternative and blended cements, improving thermal efficiency, carbon capture investment, the use of clean energy, and advocating for updated codes, standards, specifications and procurement policies. “Concrete Zero in Canada includes a wide array of different technologies that we
can apply today, which, in many cases, are bolt-on technologies that can be implemented right now, with proven effectiveness. In other instances, they’re almost ready for prime time. They’re just in the final stages of demonstration and optimization. And in other cases, it’s really a lot of early-stage research that is in place,” says Robert Cumming, head of sustainability and public affairs for Lafarge Canada (East). Lafarge Canada, a member of Holcim, is one of the companies that has been leading the charge to lower GHG emissions across the country. Over the past several years, the global building materials manufacturer has been investing millions of dollars in its cement plants across Canada with new technologies, retrofitting them to use alternative fuel supplies. “Our commitment to sustainability encompasses a multi-faceted approach, revolving around emissions reductions, use of circular economy principles in our products, reduction of our impact on nature and increasing our positive impact on people in communities,” says Stephanie Voysey, head of sustainability and environment for Western Canada at Lafarge Canada. “When we look at it from these four pillars, emissions play a pivotal role. So, over the last 20 years, we’ve looked at investing in upgrading equipment to ensure we have the best available technology. You can see that through the Exshaw revitalization for Kiln 6, which happened in 2016.” The Lafarge Exshaw Cement Plant on-sitemag.com / 41
NET-ZERO combustion within the alkaline atmosphere in our kilns, we aren’t increasing the emissions out of the kiln. So, there’s waste diversion that’s happening,” Voysey says. The Richmond cement plant has been able to consistently use 50 per cent alternate fuels over the past year. “Exshaw has taken a little bit longer on its coal processing journey for alternate fuels; however, we are currently in the construction phase of implementing an alternate fuel system on-site that has a similar goal of reaching 50 per cent in time,” Voysey says. Lafarge Canada has set a goal of completing this project by early 2024, and Exshaw plans on ramping up its fuel substitution rates, further advancing its sustainability efforts.
CAPTURING CARBON The remaining 70 per cent of emissions from the Richmond and Exshaw cement plants comes from calcining – the process plants use to heat up the limestone. Those emissions are currently unavoidable unless a viable limestone substitute can be found. “In response, we’re actively exploring alternative raw materials that we can put into the system, like recycled concrete, to decrease that limestone addition,” says Voysey. “The other way is exploring the potential of CCUS.” CCUS stands for carbon capture and utilization/storage. The Exshaw plant is
reviewing a pre-front end engineering design (FEED) for 1 million tonnes a year of carbon capture from Kiln 6. “That’s looking at post-combustion removal of 1 million tonnes of CO2 with transportation and sequestration of that CO2 somewhere in the Bow Valley region,” Voysey says. Working together with proponents in southern Alberta who are looking to create their own sequestration hubs for CO2, as well as the potential for other sequestration hubs that may not have been identified, Lafarge Canada hopes to find something suitable before 2030. “We’re on track to complete our pre-feed for carbon capture by early 2024, and then Lafarge will evaluate the data available to make an informed decision on proceeding with FEED,” Voysey says. “Exshaw has a really viable case for carbon capture because, in Alberta, the sequestration space is available, and the government is supportive of carbon capture and sequestration geologically onshore.”
DECARBONIZING THE GRID Lafarge Canada’s operations in Eastern Canada don’t have the same geological formations and regulatory structures of Alberta, so the company is identifying other options for reducing emissions in that province, Cumming explains. One of the ways the company is reducing its emissions is by taking advantage of the largely decarbonized
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAFARGE CANADA
in Exshaw, Alta., is equipped with newly modernized kilns that are designed to replace up to 50 per cent of the fossil fuels consumed with lower carbon options. While its kilns are set to use natural gas, they can also be adapted to burn waste-derived fuels. “On site now, we decommissioned Kiln 4, a long dry kiln. We rely on Kiln 5, a preheater and precalciner, and Kiln 6, an even newer preheater and precalciner. They allow us to produce clinker, which is the main component of cement, in the most efficient way possible,” Voysey explains. “Similarly, for the Richmond [B.C.] plant, the preheater and precalciner were upgraded in 1996. And so, since then, we’ve added a new system of co-processing of alternate fuels in 2018, resulting in a significant reduction of up to 50 per cent in our reliance on fossil fuels.” Lafarge Canada’s Exshaw and Richmond plants have transitioned from burning coal to natural gas in recent years as part of the company’s sustainability efforts. The Richmond plant completed its transition about four years ago, and now operates using a combination of 50 per cent natural gas and 50 per cent alternate fuels – construction and demolition materials primarily comprised of biomass, wood waste and non-recyclable plastics such as the lids of plastic bottles that cannot be recycled. “We receive a lot of alternate fuels at the [Richmond] cement plant, which have good heat value. And because we have complete
42 / OCTOBER 2023
grids in Quebec and Ontario. “We’re in good shape from a carbon intensity perspective. So, we’re capitalizing on that advantage. We’re implementing several initiatives including pilots with hybrid loaders in our quarries and installing about 100 EV car chargers on sites across Canada to make it easier for our employees to adopt electric vehicles,” he says.
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY Other product lines within Lafarge Canada, such as ready mix concrete, aggregates and asphalt, are another big part of the company’s circular economy. “In our aggregates group, we offer a recycled aggregate product, which is 100 per cent recycled concrete. In certain regions of Western Canada, it can have asphalt mixed into it, and many times, it’s used as a road base,” says Voysey. “And so throughout many of the projects in construction, it’s increasing in use, and that’s a target of ours – to decrease the virgin aggregates that we use and to tap into the stock-
piles that we have on our sites, which often come from previous projects, thus promoting sustainable resource utilization.” One of the challenges with getting recycled aggregates and asphalt used more prevalently is resistance from specifiers. “It might surprise you and others to hear that many projects don’t like to reuse recycled aggregates, and it’s because virgin aggregates are still readily available. So, we try to educate our customers to ensure they understand that you can use a road base that is recycled aggregates. It doesn’t have to be virgin material,” she says. Lafarge Canada’s asphalt division also uses Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) on projects whenever possible. “We do all the testing to achieve 10-, 20-, 30-, or 40-per-cent RAP, tailored to what the municipality is comfortable adding so that it can be reused on the road,” she explains. “For every 10 tonnes of RAP integrated into the asphalt mix, we can reduce one tonne of CO2. This is possible because the old asphalt still has the asphalt cement
and aggregates that contribute to the properties of new asphalt, promoting sustainability in road construction.” Even still, it can be a struggle to get specifiers on board with recycled materials, so the company also educates the industry. “In collaboration with the Zero Waste Committee in Metro Vancouver, and with the City of Richmond, we’ve developed a RAP protocol, so that municipal engineers can gain a better understanding of these materials and how they’re tested,” says Voysey. Cumming says Lafarge Canada can achieve a 20 to 40 per cent carbon intensity reduction in concrete delivered. This, he says, coupled with energy efficiency improvements and other actions that are in the planning stages right now, will allow the company to meet its 2030 emissions targets in Eastern Canada.
Andrew Snook is a freelance writer and past-editor of On-Site Magazine.
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2023-09-12 11:46 AM
SPONSORED CONTENT
Milwaukee® BOLT™ helmets offer protection from top and side impacts and feature a chin strap with five adjustable buckles for best fit and security.
ELIMINATING DROPPED OBJECT HAZARDS AT THE SOURCE Milwaukee Tool teams up with PCL Construction and EllisDon to help workers stay safe and stay productive when working at heights. Infrastructure Health & Safety Association incidents continue to be an S truck-by (IHSA). “The construction regulations lack a alarming trend in the Ontario construction
sector as high-rise development booms in Toronto and dropped objects jeopardize the safety of workers and the public. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, as of December 31, 2022, critical injuries caused by falling materials represent 15 percent of all injuries on construction sites.
“Currently, Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act has a vague approach to dropped objects,” says Jennifer McKenzie, Director of Stakeholder and Client Engagement with the
dedicated section addressing the prevention of tools falling and instead depend on broad declarations like section 34, which mandates the provision of overhead protection when there is a risk of materials falling onto workers.” To address existing gaps in Ontario’s safety regulations, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) and EllisDon are engaging industry stakeholders, including trade partners like Milwaukee Tool, to help improve tool tethering efforts and educate workers on dropped object prevention.
“The industry’s current approach is too reactionary,” says Anders Wheeler, District Health, Safety and Environment Manager for PCL Toronto. “We need to take proactive safety measures that address hazards at the source and work collectively as an industry to develop improved safety standards on jobsites.” REDUCING FALLING OBJECT HAZARDS WITH TOOL TETHERING “Tethering prevents objects from falling in the first place, so eliminating the hazard is always the preferred method for reducing risk,” says Dennis Christie, Director of
Health, Safety and Environment at EllisDon. Safety leaders say one of the biggest challenges of improving dropped object prevention is getting workers to make the connection that if they need to be tied off, so do their tools. Innovations in tool tethering solutions are improving the worker experience, allowing users to tether a wide variety of tools and equipment. Milwaukee® tool lanyards provide shock absorption and slow a tool if a drop occurs, reducing the risk of injury. Colour-coded weight ratings make it easier for workers to identify the appropriate lanyard for each tool. Double-locking carabiners ensure a secure connection, and the integrated swivel prevents tool tethers from getting tangled, helping workers stay safe and stay productive. Milwaukee Tool also provides jobsite partners with implementation support to motivate safety compliance with tool tethering programs, training users to easily anchor their tools and create secure connections when working at heights. “It has been great partnering with Milwaukee Tool and having them visit our jobsites to help us educate workers on best practices for using their tethering solutions,” says Wheeler. “Some workers think there is no way to tether certain tools, and we have been able to provide guidance that shuts down those misconceptions.” While PCL Construction has implemented many safety measures to help eliminate falling object hazards, Wheeler says
equipping their workforce with tethers and providing tool tethering training has contributed to a 60 percent reduction in dropped objects over the last year in the Greater Toronto Area. PROMOTING ENHANCED HEAD PROTECTION FOR WORKING AT HEIGHTS Another opportunity to build a proactive safety culture on jobsites is outfitting workers with head protection that exceeds minimum industry requirements. While Type 1 protective headwear is required on construction sites, according to McKenzie, Ontario’s current regulations do not adequately address the specific hazards associated with dropped objects.
“Section 22 of the construction regulations does not indicate if a hard hat must be equipped with a chin strap to ensure head protection remains on the worker’s head when they are struck by an object or fall, and whether it is equipped with a multi-directional impact system,” she says. These safety gaps are a major reason EllisDon is making a company-wide shift to Milwaukee® BOLT™ helmets, which offer protection from top and side impacts and feature a unique five adjustable buckle chin strap to help protective headwear stay on in the event of a fall. “We have seen that when a worker falls even from just six feet off a ladder, by the time they strike the ground, their hard hat is not on, and it can result in a head injury,” says Christie. “When objects fall from significant heights, they can also deflect up to four hundred feet. Type 1 hard hats are not designed for side impact, but the Type 2 Milwaukee® BOLT™ helmet has an insulated barrier that could help to minimize the extent of injuries with falling objects.” Another jobsite safety challenge is that many workers will tape or tie additional personal protective equipment onto their hard hats, reducing the headwear’s structural integrity. These accessories can also exacerbate risks related to falling objects when not properly secured. On the other hand, Milwaukee® BOLT™ helmets feature six accessory slots that allow workers to simultaneously attach headlamps, eye visors, and hearing protection for improved safety and comfort while remaining safely secured. ADVOCATING FOR MORE CONSISTENT JOBSITE SAFETY STANDARDS Collaboration among industry stakeholders is essential for identifying hazards, taking effective measures to reduce risk, and building a proactive safety culture. “If we want to hold others accountable to improved safety standards, we need to lead by example,” says Wheeler. Milwaukee Tool continues to team up with PCL Construction and EllisDon to deliver safety events that improve dropped object prevention awareness and promote best practices. Still, industrywide regulatory changes need to happen to provide a clear framework for employers to follow and encourage consistency across jobsites. While costs may be associated with providing better safety equipment and training, it is important to consider the benefits of fewer workplace injuries, including the potential long-term cost savings and the opportunity to improve the construction industry’s reputation.
Milwaukee® tool lanyards are colour coded to help you easily identify the lanyard’s weight rating.
“
It should not take a fatal incident to create change,” says Christie. “Progressive contractors are striving to go above the minimum requirements to protect workers and the public, and moving forward, our clients will expect to see worldclass safety standards.
”
For more information about Milwaukee Tool’s safety solutions, visit milwaukeetool. ca/Products/Safety-Solutions.
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
DURABILITY THROUGH INNOVATION Manufacturers aim to boost durability, and drop weight, in the vocational truck segment.
M
ore features, more durability, better performance: all of these, and more, can be expected as competition for your vocational truck order continues to heat up. In addition to addressing the expectations for improved operator comfort and upgraded sensor networks, today’s vocational truck manufacturers are making the vehicles more durable than ever, but there’s more going on than just a show of strength. “In the context of the construction industry, not only is durability required,
46 / OCTOBER 2023
but weight reduction is equally critical,” explains Michelle McConn a heavy-duty vocational product marketing specialist at Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), the manufacturer of the Western Star X-Series and Freightliner Plus Series. In the X-Series for example, more durability but less mass is found in the single frame rail, hood, cab and air intake system. This helps mitigate today’s high manufacturing costs while also providing a bit of fuel savings during operation. DTNA is approaching weight reduction
through targeted placement of reinforcement. The cab in the new X-Series is aluminum, for example, has strategically placed steel reinforcements in the pillars that enable the cab to withstand such factors as extreme-duty door slam cycles over the truck’s lifetime. In addition, the use of factory-installed features that streamline body integration eliminates the need for truck equipment manufacturers to cut through the cab or dash for body controls and power. McConn adds that both the X-Series and the Plus Series
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MACK TRUCKS
BY TREENA HEIN
offer the QuickFit system, which involves factory-installed features that maintain durability and reduce noise. Turning to the entire frame, McConn explains, “The new single-channel frame rails remove the need for double-frame rails by offering thicknesses from 8 mm to 15 mm and providing a resisting bending moment [a measure of material yielding strength] of up to 3.8 million inch-pounds.” The new rails, she says, provide weight savings of about 100 pounds while still providing the strength required to forego the need for frame rail inserts. The new single-channel rails are also designed to minimize corrosion. Suspension is another area where vocational trucks are getting a durability upgrade, and a reduction in weight. The Mack mRIDE rear suspension, offered in 40,000-, 46,000- and 52,000-pound load capacities, offers reduced weight when equipped with Mack axles, explains Tim Wrinkle, construction product manager at Mack Trucks. That option trims 140 pounds with drum brakes and 146 pounds with air disc brakes. “This suspension is popular because it offers a smooth ride on the roughest jobsites,” he adds. “It provides extreme articulation with its spring leaf suspension over rubber block suspension, maintaining high stability and minimal roll rate. It also offers greater ground clearance than other suspensions due to the use of the spring leafs over four separate rubber block pads.” According to the manufacturer, the rubber isolated upper v-stay and lower torque rods, arranged in a parallelogram, keep the forward and rear drive axles at the same pinion angle through the articulating range. Mack Trucks has also taken the
48 / OCTOBER 2023
approach of top mounting its axel carriers, a design that delivers a straight-through driveline that it says cuts down on vibration and should reduce lifetime maintenance costs. Each carrier’s double-reduction gearing means that loading is balanced over two gear sets and the design of the Durapoid bevel gears eliminates localized stress and tooth-end loading, extending gear life and providing better fuel economy.
national line was created from the ground up with a focus on simplicity. Design simplification, he notes, goes a long way in keeping trucks on the road longer. He adds that the powertrain takes “a big step forward in durability by releasing an engine that no longer requires an EGR cooler or diesel oxidation catalyst/seventh injector to reach today’s stringent emission regulations.”
HOODS AND ENGINES
DON’T FORGET THE PTO
Newer materials are also being integrated into newer trucks. The X-Series hood is now made of a moulded resin. Polydicyclopentadiene, or P-DCPD, is a highly impact-resistant material that’s also flexible and weighs 100 pounds less than the previous fibreglass hood. “We’re also seeing a trend toward components that can withstand the magnesium chloride and calcium chloride solutions used to treat the roads,” adds Andy Hanson, director of vocational marketing at Navistar. “Be on the lookout for more galvanized and stainless-steel components to winter-proof your trucks.” Engine durability is yet another current focus. Hanson explains that the S13 Integrated Powertrain for his company’s Inter-
With the release of S13 Integrated Powertrain, International now joins others in the market in offering factory-installed PTOs. This reduces upfitting times and increases first time quality. Vocational models from Mack Trucks have PTOs and hydraulic pumps mounted to the mDRIVE transmission direct from the factory. “This is a very popular choice on Mack Granite models because it makes upfit even quicker and easier,” says Wrinkle. “We also have new options such as the mDRIVE – Dual PTO.” For the Freightliner Plus Series and the Western Star 47X/49X models, quick access to PTO functions is now provided through the display screen.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAIMLER TRUCK NORTH AMERICA
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS
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Be on the lookout for more galvanized and stainless-steel components to winter-proof your trucks.” “This allows operators to easily engage and customize the amount of power being transferred through the push of a button,” says McConn. “Additionally, the new electrical architecture supports controls and programming for up to four PTOs from the factory.” To support ease of upfit, DTNA also offers truck equipment manufacturers factory-installed routing and clipping brackets to ensure all wires and hydraulic
50 / OCTOBER 2023
lines are tightly bundled and protected from the elements. Another new offering from DTNA for the construction market is factory-installed switch caps for truck equipment manufacturers’ integrated body controls within various dump truck applications, says McConn. “For our vocational models, we offer factory-installed and aftermarket-available, laser-etched graphics which provide a streamlined dash layout and switch labels that last the life of the vehicle,” he explains
HIGH DEMAND IN CONCRETE SECTOR Eric Duiker, who handles sales at Cancrete, says that there is strong demand for his company’s vocational concrete pump trucks. Cancrete purchases large chasses for Putzmeister concrete pumps mostly from Mack, but also Kenworth, Western Star and Autocar. Their smaller chassis option is the Dodge Ram 5500.
“Demand is high, and we’re still backlogged 9-18 months,” he says. “Order intake has slowed somewhat, but it’s still steady. We have a significant backlog for larger chassis, and we’ve had to switched to conventional cabs from cabover because we can’t get cabover. For the Dodge Ram 5500, we need 25 and we’re expecting one this year. We’re still waiting on 2022 orders.” To increase durability in its offerings, Cancrete has done things like switch from manual to automatic transmissions. “It really helps save the drivelines,” says Duiker. “We’ve also switched to air suspension from spring suspension because the roads everywhere are just terrible. We were seeing quite a bit of damage and strain on the structures of the pumps just from travelling the roads, and switching to air suspension has certainly reduced that.”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CANCRETE
VOCATIONAL TRUCKS